Bryan Kohberger pleaded guilty Wednesday to the brutal 2022 murders of four University of Idaho students, admitting in court to killing Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Madison Mogen, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Ethan Chapin, 20.
The guilty plea was part of a deal that allows Kohberger to avoid the death penalty. Instead, he faces four consecutive life sentences for the murders, plus an additional 10 years for a burglary charge. Sentencing is scheduled for July 23.
During the hearing in a Boise courtroom, Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson outlined the disturbing details of the case. He revealed that Kohberger not only stabbed the four students to death in the early morning hours of November 13, 2022, but also returned to the crime scene just hours later — before the victims’ bodies had been discovered.
At around 9 a.m., Kohberger’s cellphone was tracked back to the residence where the killings occurred. He remained at the location for about 10 minutes before returning to his dorm at Washington State University in Pullman. Once back, he took a selfie, grinning and giving a thumbs-up — a chilling detail Thompson described as “beyond disturbing.”
Thompson also reiterated that Kohberger’s car was captured on video near the scene, and that he had purchased a weapon matching the murder weapon online prior to the attack.
The plea deal, reached just two days before Wednesday’s hearing, requires Kohberger to waive his right to appeal. Reactions from the victims’ families have been mixed: while the families of Madison Mogen and Ethan Chapin supported the agreement to avoid a lengthy trial, the families of Kaylee Goncalves and Xana Kernodle expressed disappointment, saying they had hoped the case would go to trial.
Kohberger’s sentencing on July 23 is expected to bring an end to one of the most high-profile murder cases in recent years.
